What do we know about Terminator 5 – otherwise known as Terminator (2015) – thus far? Well, for certain Arnold Schwarzenegger will be appearing in the film, but otherwise we’re technically still awaiting confirmation/clarification on claims that Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) is directing and Arnold will reprise as the T-800 machine (not an ordinary man).

A few years back, there was a rumor that suggested the fifth Terminator installment will be a soft reboot; one that revolves around an older Sarah Connor – along with her grown-up son John – in the present-day, no less (e.g. potentially overriding the events in Terminator: Rise of the Machines and The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Justin Lin, who was the director at the time, dismissed the proposal of T5 as a cast reunion that would include T2: Judgement Day stars Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong.

However, even back then, Lin was hinting that T5 would use the time-travel plot device to reset the convoluted sci-fi franchise. That still appears to be the driving force behind the project, even though the latest casting rumor indicates that the plan for accomplishing that isn’t all that simple. (At least, not so simple as, say, just not including the Connors in the narrative.)

Schmoes Knows claims to have information from a “top-secret source” (get that grain of salt ready…), which suggests that Terminator 5 will feature versions of John and Sarah Connor that are close to the same age. There was previously talk about the Terminator 5 storyline – from screenwriters Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) and Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry) – taking place in the 1950s, back when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was rumored to play a new Terminator model. But do these rumors fit together… or simply call attention to how little we actually know about the project?

Playing devil’s advocate for a moment, it could be that the plan is to unite John and Sarah Connor from different points in history (along with Arnold’s character), then send then back to the mid-20th century to prevent some event that sets in motion Judgement Day? Such a version of Terminator 5 sounds remarkably similar to the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past, which partly seeks to tidy up the convoluted timeline for the X-Men superhero franchise. Seeing how the next Terminator movie is apparently going to follow suit and reboot the series – laying the groundwork for a new standalone trilogy – could that guess not be so far off as you might think right off the bat?

The actresses that Schmoes Knows claim are being eyed to play a 20-something Sarah Connor in Terminator 5 include Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Brie Larson (21 Jump Street) and Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street), while the candidates in consideration to portray the 20-something version of her son John include Boyd Holbrook (Hatfields & McCoys) and Garret Hedlund (TRON: Legacy). Interestingly, most of these actors and actresses have proven able to blend into period settings with fairly little difficulty, which could make them reasonable candidates to play modern-day time-travelers (who don’t stick out like sore thumbs in the past).

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton & Edward Furlong in ‘T2′

Having said that: featuring versions of John and Sarah Connor – who are near the same age – as they jump around the 1900s, doesn’t exactly sound like the smartest way to “fix” the Terminator franchise. Moreover, Taylor has indicated that his (for now, theoretical) approach to making the film would be to take the franchise back to its character-based, simple genre roots in stalker horror and/or sci-fi action (he referenced it as the Batman Begins approach).

How about it – do you believe there’s any truth to this Terminator 5 casting rumor? Let us know in the comments section!